A visit to a friend’s garden was productive, butterflies were nectaring on some tall everlastings, making for some nice pictures.

Painted Lady, Vanessa kershawi, a pristine specimen.

And on the fishpond, floating Nardoo foliage.

It is always good to find a St. Andrews Cross spider, Argiope keyserlingi, in the garden, and this one came with a bonus, the male in position on the decorative silk cross behind the female.

This is the time of year for the Australian Jewel Spider, aka Spiny Spider, Austracantha minax, and there is what can only be described as a colony in the Burrendong Beauty hakea. Strangely, the twenty or so spiders are all facing into the shrub, south, away from the sun, meaning only their interesting under-sides could be photographed.

Out in the paddock there is plenty of seed available for cockies and friends,

however, on a showery morning the Little Corellas found the seed on the Snowy River Wattle to be more inviting.

And with plenty of grevillea flowers on tap the young Red Wattlebirds have been growing quickly and becoming independent,

and learning to be wary.

Click pictures to enlarge.

 

Flowering Leptospermums, in common with other members of the Myrtaceae, are very attractive to insects seeking pollen and nectar. We have several native varieties including Leptospermum Rhiannon, a hybrid between L. rotundifolium and L. spectabile, it is spectacular in flower and extremely popular with a range of insects. Wasps of several species have been visiting, firstly, hairy flower wasps.

Sand wasps have made an appearance and are alternating between supping nectar and searching for burrow sites.

Wasps in the family Gasteruptiidae are solitary bee parasites, and due to their slimness and constant movement can be extremely hard to photograph. The beckoning flowers made the job a little easier with male and female partaking of nectar.

An drone fly had been pursued several times without photographic success, but the beautiful flowers proved its undoing.

Dozens of fly species are attracted to the flowers, some of which are quite colourful.

Beetles too get in on the act, like this mating pair of lycid beetles.

Click all pictures to enlarge.